VMRC approves breakwater project in lower Mathews

The Virginia Resources Commission approved a request from the Bavon Beach and Chesapeake Beach Homeowners Associations to install four headland breakwaters adjacent to their properties situated along the Chesapeake Bay in Mathews County.

Commission spokesman John Bull said that action, taken during a meeting Nov. 19 in Newport News, allows breakwaters totaling 950 linear feet with 25,000 cubic yards of sand placed landward of the breakwaters and channelward of mean low water as beach nourishment. In addition, he said the associations were allowed to extend an existing 12-inch drainage outfall pipe 109 feet channelward adjacent to their properties.

VMRC staff recommended approval of this request with a royalty in the amount of $8,978.15 for the encroachment of the pipe on 109 linear feet of state-owned submerged land at the rate of $3 per linear foot and for the encroachment of the beach nourishment upon 173,023 square feet of submerged land at the rate of 5 cents per square foot.

Bull said commission staff recommended a time-of-year restriction precluding any construction activity from June 1 to Sept. 15 to minimize adverse impact on the Northeastern Beach Tiger Beetle. In addition, staff supports a requirement to develop a one-time mitigation plan for the seeding of submerged aquatic vegetation in the James River as part of ongoing SAV restoration efforts by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, and not to exceed a cost of $10,000.